Apparatus for feeding particulate material and forming rod therefrom



1968 s. J. SILBERMAN 3, 98

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND FORMING ROD THEREFROM Filed July 19, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 T I! I him. LL.

. v A TORNEY 1963 s. J. SILBERMAN 3,398,752

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PARTICULATE MATERIAL AND FORMING ROD THEREFROM Filed July 19, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Aug. 27, 1968 s. J. SILBERMAN 3,398,

APPARAT OR FEEDING PARTICULATE MATERIAL v FORMING ROD THEREFROM US F AND

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 19, 1966 r/ @RS Mn -W LF N m E 3 a T N m5 R vw m m 4 5 A W M w 3,398,752 Patented Aug. 27, 1968 3,398,752 APPARATUS FOR FEEDING PARTICULATE MA- TERIAL AND FORMING ROD THEREFROM Samuel J. Silberman, 885 Park Ave., New York, N.Y. 10021 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 505,342, Oct. 27, 1965. This application July 19, 1966, Ser. No. 566,262

17 Claims. (Cl. 131-59) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An apparatus for continuously producing a helically wound rod of tobacco includes a feed tube having an internal thread and a feed screw extending along the feed tube, the tube and screw being oppositely rotated to advance tobacco from the trailing through the discharge opening of the feed screw. A wrapper band is fed to the surface of the feed tube at an angle thereto and is advanced along the feed tube by a canted roll to form a longitudinal helically wound tube. Air outlet ports are formed in the wall of the feed tube underlying the Wrapper band and a nozzle injects air into the tube trailing opening, the air flowing through the ports to provide a bearing for the wrapper band on the tube.

This is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 505,342 filed Oct. 27, 1965.

The present invention relates generally to improvements in feeding and forming devices and it relates in particular to an improved apparatus for the continous production of elongated rods of tobacco bound or wrapped in helically applied bands.

Many types of mechanisms have been proposed for the automatic continous production of a rod of filler tobacco which is bound or wrapped in one or more helically wound bands of tobacco. The continuously produced rod is formed in various thicknesses, wrapped and cut into predetermined lengths for use as cigars or cigarillos or the like. A major problem encountered in the production of tobacco products in the above manner is the lack of uniformity of the end product, and specifically the inability to control properly the density and compactness of the filler tobacco. In order that wrapped tobacco rod-producing machines operate in a satisfactory manner it is necessary that the filler tobacco be fed, formed, advanced and wrapped so as to be of a uniform compactness, and that the end product, such as the cigar, cigarillo or the like have an easy and consistent draw and a good feel. The methods and mechanisms employed in the feeding of tobacco in the conventional cigarette making equipment has not been found suitable in the manufacture of cigar type products in which the tobacco core is covered by a heilically wound band. These methods and mechanisms, when employed in the manufacture of the aforesaid cigar type products, do not produce a uniformly packed filler of the desired density and otherwise leave much to be desired.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved device for feeding and compacting a particulate material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved apparatus for the continuous production of cigars, cigarettes and the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for feeding filler tobacco to a continous cigar producing machine.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved mechanism for forming and advancing a rod of filler tobacco attendant the binding and wrapping thereof in at least one helically arranged band.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above nature characterized by its versatility, adaptability, ruggedness and dependability.

The above and other objects of the present invention will in part be specifically pointed out hereinabove, and in part will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front fragmentary elevational view of an apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view thereof;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the leading end of the former nozzle;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the feed block;

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the inlet air humidifying device;

FIGURE 8 is a top plan fragmentary view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIGURE 8; and FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary perspective view.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of an apparatus for producing a helically wrapped rod of a particulate filler material, said apparatus comprising a feed tube having inlet and discharge openings at trailing and leading sections thereof, means for rotating said feed tube, means for helically winding and axially advancing a band about and along said fee tube and means for directing a flow of air into said feed tube rearwardly of said discharge opening. An outlet port is formed in the feed tube forward of the point of air entry and affords communication between the inside and outside faces of the feed tube, the band being fed in overlapping relationship 'with the outlet port. Another feature of the present apparatus resides in the combination of the feed tube and a coaxially extending feed screw, and means for rotating the feed tube and the feed screw in opposite directions.

According to a preferred form of the present apparatus, there is provided a feed tube body member having a longitudinal bore formed therein, the trailing section of said feed tube being journalled in the leading end of the bore and the leading section of the feed tube having peripherally spaced ports therein. A side opening is formed in said body member and communicates with the bore, and an endless feed belt has an upper run extending to said side opening for delivering tobacco thereto. A wire feed helix extends for slightly less than or for the full length of the feed tube and the full length of the bore, and registers with the body member side opening, and a rotary nozzle is secured to and telescopes the trailing end of the feed helix and the body member bore and communicates with a stationary coaxial nozzle connected to a source of compressed air and to an adjustable source of water to humidify the air and moisten the fed tobacco. That part of the feed helix which registers with the bore is of slightly greater diameter than the remainder thereof. Means are provided for rotating the feed tube, and the wire helix and rotary nozzle in opposite directions. Overlapping wrapper and binder bands are fed at an angle to the leading section of the feed tube in overlapping relation to the outlet ports and are helically wound and advanced along and beyond the leading section of the feed tube by a pair of rotating canted rolls engaging the bands along the feed tube. The inner face of the feed tube may advantageously be provided with a helically ext-ending groove of pitch opposite that of the feed helix.

Referring now to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral generally designates a suitably mounted body member having a longitudinal bore 11 formed therein and extending from an angularly extending vertical trailing face 12 to a transversly extending leading face 13. A passageway 14, formed in the trailing section of body 10 at an angle to bore 11, extending between the trailing section of bore 11 and a trailing face 16 of body 10 transversely to passageway 14. The bottom of passageway 14 is open and a top face 17 of body 10 is tapered downwardly to the trailing face 16 and intersects passageway 14 along a sharp edge at the entrance thereto.

An endless belt 18 is suitably supported by a plurality of rollers at least one of which is positively driven to ad- Vance the belt along a substantially horizontal run 19, the leading end of which underlies the body 10. The upper run 19 of said belt 18 lies along the longitudinal medial axis of passageway 14 and delineates the bottom wall thereof and extends transversely beyond bore 11. A second driven endless belt 20 includes a bottom run 21 which advances longitudinally toward the opening to passageway 14 and traverses a lead drum 22 substantially tangent to face 17 of body member 10 and a short distance below the bottom sharp edge thereof. The belt runs 19 and 21 converge toward passageway 14 and advance thereto at about the same rate thereby to compact and feed filler tobacco carried by belt run 19 through passageway 14 toward bore 11, suitable guide plates being provided to maintain belts 18 and 20 along their runs 19 and 21. A tobacco filler feed unit 23 which may be of known construction, is positioned above the trailing section of belt run 19 and deposits filler tobacco to a predetermined level on belt run 19 in any suitable manner.

A slot 24 is formed in body 10 shortly rearwardly of front face 13 and extends across bore 11, a pair of axial bushings 26 registering with bore 11 on opposite sides of slot 24. An elongated feed tube 27 of substantially uniform inside diameter projects forwardly of body 10 coaxially with bore 11, and includes a trailing section 28 of larger outside diameter registering with bore 11 and rotatably engaging bushings 26 and terminating at a point short of passageway 14. The leading or main section 29 of feed tube 27 has a plurality of staggered, longitudinally and circumferentially spaced outlet ports 30 formed therein, trailing the leading or discharge end thereof. A helical gear 32 is secured to the trailing section 28 of the feed tube in registry with the slot 24 and spaced from the opposite faces of the slot 24 by rings 33. Gear 32 is engaged by a driven mating gear to rotate feed tube 27 in a predetermined sense, for example, counterclockwise in the direction of arrow a as viewed in FIGURE 2. It should be noted that the trailing face of feed tube 27 and trailing bushing 26 are beveled as at 27a to define a funnel shaped opening into feed tube 27.

A feed screw 34 in the form of a wire helix, having a substantially uniform left hand pitch in the illustrated embodiment, extends coaxially along substantially the full length of feed tube 27 and bore 11, from about the discharge end of feed tube 27 or from a point shortly trailing, advantageously by about 4'', said discharge end to and shortly beyond the rear face 12 of the body member and across passageway 14. The outside diameter of feed screw 34, which registers with feed tube 27, is about equal to the inside diameter of feed tube 27, and that portion which registers with passageway 14 is of somewhat larger diameter. A tubular nozzle 36, coaxial with feed screw 34, telescopes and is afiixed to the trailing end thereof which screw is axially contracted, as at 35, the leading end of nozzle 36 terminating at about passageway 14 and the trailing end thereof being disposed rearwardly of body 10. Nozzle 36 is journalled and suitably supported coaxial with feed tube 27 and is rotated at a predetermined speed in a direction opposite that of feed tube 27, clockwise in the illustrated embodiment as indicated by arrow b, correspondingly to rotate feed screw 34. The trailing opening in nozzle 36 is coupled by means of a stationary nozzle 37 or any suitable rotary coupling to a source of low pressure compressed air to effect the flow of air into and through nozzle 36 and feed tube 27, as will be set forth below.

A first pair of upper and lower canted pressure rollers 38 and 39 respectively are urged toward engagement with the upper and lower surfaces of feed tube section 29 intermediate its ends. The surface of the trailing section of upper roller 38 is of elliptic hyperbolic longitudinal cross-section and the surface of the leading section of the lower roller 39 is of elliptic hyperbolic longitudinal cross-section to engage the surface of the feed tube section 29 along upper and lower longitudinal lines along the far side thereof, the opposite sections of the rollers 38 and 39 along the far side of the feed tube section 29 are cylindrical in shape. Means are provided for positively rotating rollers 38 and 39 clockwise as viewed from their trailing ends and as shown by the arrows c and d and at a peripheral speed approximately equal to that of the outer face of feed tube section 29. Rollers 38 and 39 are each canted at 45 to feed tube 27 and are canted at to each other.

A second pair of canted upper and lower pressure rollers 40 and 41 respectively are urged toward engagement with the upper and lower surfaces of the leading end of feed tube section 27 and project beyond said leading end. Rollers 40 and 41 are canted at 45 to feed tube 27 and are canted 90 to each other and each are provided with peripheral surfaces of elliptic hyperbolic longitudinal cross-section engaging the feed tube section along longitudinally extending lines and delineating a tubular passageway beyond the leading end of feed tube 27. Upper and lower rollers 40 and 41 are positively driven at peripheral speeds substantially that of the outer face of the feed tube section 29, the upper roller 40 rotating clockwise, as viewed from its trailing end and indicated by the arrow e, and the lower roller 41 rotating counterclockwise as viewed from its leading end and indicated by the arrow 1.

The structure of rollers 38, 39, 40 and 41 and a mechanism which may be employed to advantage for driving these rollers is described in detail in patent application Serial No. 348,951, filed March 3, 1964, in the name of Samuel J. Silberman. Briefly, rollers 40 and 41, of the configuration described above, are affixed to upper and lower horizontal shafts 42 and 43 respectively, which are canted at 90 to each other and are suitably journalled to corresponding brackets. A main drive shaft 44 is coupled to a drive motor and is parallel to shaft 42. Shaft 44 is coupled to shaft 42 by means of meshing similar gears 46 and 47 aifixed to shafts 42 and 44 respectively, and is coupled to shaft 43 'by means of meshing similar spiral gears 45 and 48 affixed to shafts 43 and 44.

Suitable means are provided for leading enwrapping bands A and B from supply rolls thereof with their borders overlapping into the bight delineated by bottom roller 39 and feed tube section 29, along the bottom surface of the feed tube section 29 and at an angle thereto. The bands A and B are preferably formed of reconstituted tobacco sheet or film, and define the cigar Wrapper and binder respectively, the border of binder B overlying the adjacent border of wrapper A.

Feed tube 27, nozzle 36 and feed screw 34 and rollers 38, 39, 40 and 41 are driven by a common drive motor in the relationship set forth above. Means may be provided for applying labels to the bound and wrapped tobacco rod and cutting it to the desired lengths in the manner set forth in the above-identified Silberman patent application.

In order to humidify the air delivered by the nozzle 36 whereby, in a sense, to condition the tobacco being handled by the present apparatus, there is provided a moisture injecting device including a reservoir or tank 49 containing a supply of water. An injection or spray nozzle 50 is disposed in stationary nozzle 37, and is diverted axially downstream relative to the air flow, the interior of the nozzle 37 in the vicinity of the spray nozzle 50 being constricted, as at 51, to define a venturi. Nozzle 50 is connected by way of a needle valve 52 to a tube 53 which is submerged in the water in reservoir 49. Thus, with the flow of air through the nozzle 37, water is withdrawn from the reservoir 49 at a rate controllable by needle valve 52 and is thoroughly admixed with the air entering the rotating nozzle 36.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus described above, an oriented filler tobacco of the desired character is deposited by feed unit 23 onto the upper run 19 of belt 18 and is conveyed thereby beneath the lower run 21 of belt where it is compressed and fed in a compressed state through passageway 14 into bore 11. The air fed into bore 11 compresses the tobacco axially of bore 11 and the tobacco is advanced as a continuously formed rod by the rotating feed screw along the length of bore 11 into and axially through feed tube 27. The compressed air assisting the advance of the tobacco rod by the pressure on the rear face thereof and by the reduction of the friction between the tobacco rod and the inner face of feed tube 27 as a consequence of the flow of air along the interface thereof.

The binder and wrapper bands A and B are helically wound in overlapping relationship on feed tube 27 into a continuous tube T of superimposed bands A and B defining rod wrapper and binder respectively and advanced as a tube T along the length of the feed tube 27 by rollers 38 and 39. At the discharge end of feed tube 27 tube T is engaged and advanced by rollers 40 and 41 beyond feed tube 27, the rod of tobacco being continuously fed into the tube T and advanced therewith. Longitudinally spaced peripheral bands may then be applied to the advancing tobacco filled tube which is cut into the desired lengths as earlier set forth. The compressed humidified air is fed into bore 11 and flows forwardly through the feed tube 27 where moisture is absorbed therefrom by the tobacco, and emerges through ports 30 and then flows rearwardly along the outer face of the feed tube 27 to the atmosphere. During its rearward flow along the outer face of feed tube 27 the air functions as an air-bearing between the outer face of feed tube 27 and the advancing bands A and B to minimize the interfacial friction therebetween.

Referring now to the modification of my invention in FIGURES 8 to 10 of the drawings, it will be seen to differ from that first described embodiment primarily in the structure of the feed tube, the associated elements and their relationships being otherwise similar to those of the first embodiment. Reference numeral 56 designates the tobacco feed tube corresponding to fed tube 27, and reference numeral 57 designates the associated body member corresponding to the body in member 10 of the first embodiment. Body member 57 is of the same general configuration as body member 10 and is provided with a longitudinal bore 58 open along its bottom at the trailing section thereof, and provided at one side with a passageway 59 to permit the lateral feed of tobacco by a conveyer belt 60. As in the first embodiment, a transverse slot 61 is formed in body member 57 and a pair of axial bushings 63 register with bore 58 on opposite sides of slot 61.

Formed in the face of bore 58, trailing the trailing bushing 63, is a multiple thread 64 in the form of helically extending channels or grooves, preferably of rectangular cross-section and separated by intervening ridges. While four helical grooves are illustrated, a greater or lesser number may be employed.

Feed tube 56 includes a trailing section 65 registering with bushings 63 and carrying a gear 66 which registers with slot 61 and facilitates the rotation of feed tube 56. Leading section 67 of feed tube '65 is provided with staggered apertures 68 and terminates in a slightly tapered end 69. The bore or inner face of feed tube 56 is provided along the full length thereof with a multiple thread 70 in the form of helically extending channels or grooves, preferably of rectangular cross-section and separated by intervening ridges. While four parallel threads are illustrated, a greater or lesser number may be provided.

A helical feed screw 71 in the form of a wire helix of substantially the same structure as feed screw 34 extends coaxially substantially along the full length of feed tube 56 and bore 58 from a point shortly trailing the discharge end of feed tube 56, advantageously by about %-ll'lCh from said discharge end, to and beyond the rear face of body member 57. The outside diameter of feed screw 71, which registers with feed tube 56, is about equal to the inside diameter of feed tube 56, and that which registers with the passageway 59 is of somewhat larger diameter. An air nozzle 72 0f the construction and relationship of nozzle 37 and provided with a corresponding rotational drive is coaxial with feed screw 71, telescopes and is aflixed to the axial compressed trailing end 73 thereof whereby rotation of feed screw 71 is effected by rotation of nozzle 72.

Feed screw 71 is of a pitch opposite to that of threads 70 and 64. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, feed screw 71 is left handed and threads 70 and 64 are right handed. Furthermore, feed tube 56 and feed screw 71 are rotated in directions opposite to their respective screw pitches, in the illustrated embodiment the feed tube 56 is rotated counterclockwise and feed screw 71 rotates in clockwise direction.

It should be noted that the rotational speed of feed tube 56 determines the take up rate of the binder and wrapper, as earlier described, and this is determined by the axial speed of the produced cigar. Also effecting the take up rate of the binder and wrapper and its angle to the longitudinal axis of the cigar is the width of the binder or wrapper and the diameter of the cigar. In any event, the angle of pitch of feed tube thread 70 is, highly advantageously, equal to the angle of feed of the binder and wrapper to tube 56 attendant its application to the advancing cigar rod.

In operation, the tobacco is advantageously linearly fed along feed tube 56 without any rotation. This is effected when feed tube 56 and feed screw 71 are rotated so as to produce the same linear advance of a non-rotating point. Thus, if the oppositely threaded feed tube 56 and feed screw 71 are of the same angular pitch, rotation of these in opposite directions at the same rates elfects a nonrotational linear advance of the tobacco rod. The advancing tobacco rod, as it leaves the leading end of feed screw 71, is rotated by feed tube 56 in the direction of rotation thereof so that there is no slippage between the discharged tobacco rod and the axially advancing helically wrapped tobacco and binder. If desired, rotation may be imparted to the tobacco rod advancing along feed tube 56 by adjusting the rotational speed of feed screw 71.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for producing a helically wrapped rod of a particulate material comprising a feed tube having inlet and discharge openings at trailing and leading ends thereof and a port provided in the wall of the feed tube intermediate the said openings, a helical feed screw coaxially extending along and rotationally mounted within said feed tube, means for rotating said feed screw, a nozzle directed toward said feed tube inlet opening, means for connecting said nozzle to a source of compressed air, and means for helically winding and axially advancing a band about and along said feed tube in overlapping relationship to said port whereby excess air in the tube may be discharged through said port to minimize friction between said tube and said band.

2. An apparatus for producing a helically wrapped rod of a particulate material comprising a feed tube having inlet and discharge openings at trailing and leading ends thereof and an outlet port provided in the wall of the feed tube intermediate the said openings, a helical feed screw coaxially extending along and rotationally mounted within said feed tube, means for rotating said feed screw, a nozzle directed toward the inlet opening of said feed tube, means for connecting said nozzle to a source of compressed air, means for rotating said feed tube about its longitudinal axis, means for feeding a band to the surface of said tube at an angle to said tube longitudinal axis to effect the winding of said band about said tube in overlapping relationship to said outlet port, and means for advancing said wound band axially along said tube whereby excess air in the tube may be discharged through said port to minimize friction between said tube and said band.

3. The feed apparatus of claim 2, wherein said feed tube and said feed screw are rotated in opposite directions.

4. The feed apparatus of claim 2, wherein said feed screw extends rearwardly of said feed inlet opening.

5. The feed apparatus of claim 2, including a rotating roller canted relative to said feed tube and substantially engaging the surface thereof.

6. A feed apparatus comprising a body member having a longitudinally extending bore and a transverse feed opening communicating with said bore, a feed tube coaxial with said bore and having a trailing section registering with the leading part of said bore and projecting forwardly of said bore, said feed tube having air dis charge ports formed in the wall thereof forward of said body member, a tubular nozzle coaxial and registering with the trailing part of said bore and having its leading end spaced from the trailing end of said feed tube, a helical rotatable feed screw extending from said nozzle across said feed opening and along the lengths of said bore and said feed tube, means for connecting said nozzle to a source of compressed air, means for delivering material through said feed opening to said feed screw, and means for helically winding and axially advancing a band about and along said feed tube in overlapping relationship to said port whereby excess air in the tube may be discharged through said port to minimize friction between said tube and said band.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said feed screw is secured to said nozzle and is rotatable therewith.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, including means for rotating said feed tube.

9. The apparatus of claim 11, said band feeding means including a rotatable roller canted relative to said feed tube and substantially engaging the surface thereof.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said roller has an elliptic hyperbolic surface substantially engaging the surface of said feed tube along the length thereof.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said material delivering means comprises an endless driven belt having an upper feed run terminating in the area of said feed opening.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the diameter of said feed screw extending across said feed opening is greater than the diameter of the feed screw extending along said feed tube.

13. An apparatus for producing a helically wrapped rod of a particulate material comprising a feed tube having inlet and discharge openings at trailing and leading sections thereof and having an outlet port formed in the wall thereof rearwardly of said discharge opening and affording communication between the inside and outside faces of said feed tube, means for directing a flow of air into said feed tube at a point rearwardly of said discharge opening, means for rotating said feed tube about its longitudinal axis, means for feeding a band to the surface of said feed tube in overlapping relationship with said outlet port and at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal axis of said feed tube to affect the winding of said band about said tube, and means for advancing said Wound band axially along said tube whereby excess air in the tube may be discharged through said port to minimize friction between said tube and said band.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said feed tube has a helical thread formed along the inner face thereof.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said predetermined angle of feed band is substantially equal to the angle of pitch of said feed tube thread.

16. An apparatus for producing a helically wrapped rod of a particulate material comprising a feed tube having inlet and discharge openings at opposite ends thereof, means for feeding a particulate material toward said inlet opening and through said tube, means for helically winding and axially advancing a wrapper band about and along said feed tube, and means for introducing a flow of air into said feed tube having a component toward said discharge opening, said feed tube having an outlet port formed in the wall thereof underlying said wrapper band whereby excess air in said feed tube may be discharged through said port to minimize friction between said tube and said band.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 including means for rotating said feed tube about the longitudinal axis thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 242,836 6/1881 Norriss l3159 2,315,079 3/1943 Reeves 30250 3,018,781 1/1962 Eissmann 131-64 3,058,474 10/1962 Banning l3159 3,096,772 7/1963 Korber l31-64 X HUGH R. CHAMBLEE, Primary Examiner. 

